BitterSweet Candy
by The Great Dane
Summary: Erica and her brother Ray arrive at Castanet, the world of HM: Animal Parade. Focus on Erica and her pairing with Candace, so yes i guess it makes it a femslash. Do read though! -Chapter 4 out now! Please Review.
1. Chapter 1

**Bitter-sweet candy**

_This is a story about the main characters Erica and Ray. Their design is the one of the two new Animal Parade __characters; you guess who the girl is and who the boy is. _

_It takes place in Castanet (i think it is called) so you who've played the game Harvest moon: Animal Parade will recognize the people and the areas._

_They can both see Finn, but Erica's brother is the one that is sought to complete the story some of you may know. This story however will revolve around Erica, her hardships by adapting to a new different community and environment along with the trouble of falling in love with someone on first sight._

_- The background story is that their parents died of disease some time ago and that they have lived together for as long as they can remember. Ray is high-spirited and carefree and Erica is a little more hesitant to taking risks. Erica is the older sister I would guess she's around 20 +/- a year and her brother, Ray, is a year younger than her._

_I'll tag this story under "Candace:" She's supposed to be the main interest of Erica, so yes this will be what I guess some will call femslash. And if any of you are wondering then yes, Ray will also get some time for his character and his marriage interest, let's just say that I may expect some sister struggles in the tailor family as well._

_I am a guy IRL so I can never really relate to if girls should differently when they are in love with each other than if they are in love with us guys, but I figured I would go ahead and try, after all isn't the loooove all that really matters?_

_I hope you get most of what I write, my English isn't superb, but I would want to write to a bigger audience rather than to write perfectly on Danish only._

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I scouted the area, trying to find some kind of familiarity in the new scenery, but fact was that even though I stood beside my new home I was all but comfortable with my surroundings.

Leaving my home city with my brother because a yellow fairy told us to also sounded a little odd when I reviewed the event in my head, but fact was that we had just moved to a very small community without knowing a soul – we were lucky we even met anyone on the way, fortunately that one man we met had been kind enough to bring us here.

"Hey Erica, it seems like the field already has a few crops ready for harvest!" I turned my attention towards Ray and looked at the small patch o land re-worked for our farming business, "Hooray, tulips, potatoes and some turnips – we're already billionaires," I responded sarcastically. Ray always had a way of finding something positive out of every situation – I guess I was born the bigger sceptic.

Fact was though that I had reason for my scientism, none of us was that experienced with farm-work and taking care for livestock. In the city all we had really tried was growing small flowers and a patch of carrots for our pet rabbit – which also was the only creature as such we ever had taken care of. Of course our rabbit later turned out to be brain-damaged due to it was third inbred generation in its family and therefore had to be 'humanely euthanized'. After that experience our parents didn't buy us a new pet again.

So, yeah everything seemed… Bright!

"Whatever, it's still better than nothing negative-o!" Ray had already fetched his watering can and had started watering the few crops that was left for us. "I wonder if anyone lived here recently?" Ray was probably asking himself more than me, but fact was that I also wondered that a little, judging by our new house I would have said no, but the land seemed fertile enough – taken the condition of the land in the area in general into count – and both the coop and the barn didn't seem like they had been empty for long, there were still… Traces… of animals left behind.

I finally came to my senses again and thought it would be better to get the work done instead of standing and wondering while the world went on going.

"Okay, I'll go with Finn to the Harvest Goddess, why don't you try to go and buy us some more seeds?" Ray was the more adventurous and head-on type of the two of us, quite frankly I didn't really mind that too much. I always thought that too much excitement often comes with a prize, a sad notion perhaps, but it helped me keep my sense of reality – a sense my brother seemed to lack. "Sure, remember to be polite, I wouldn't want you to make a bad first impression on a goddess." "Hah, I never leave a bad first impression on anyone!" We shared a laugh before parting ways.

Being on my own was rather comforting in its own way, I was so used to hanging out with my brother all the time that silence almost felt as much as a treat as candy these days. While walking to the west where that Cain-fella had gone off to I took notice of the wild bushes, it would be important to ask the mayor if it was legal to take what you could find in the wilderness, the blueberries and raspberries on these bushes could easily be produced into jams for an extra little profit – every penny would count for a pound in our hungry purse.

As I walked over the bridge my eyes followed the huge waterwheel downwards until something else caught my attention: A man, perhaps the same age as myself? Nevertheless it seemed like he was fishing – and swearing.

"Hello." I greeted him. By the rude response I got I assumed he hadn't noticed I was a stranger – nor a girl. "Not today Chase, I can't seem to land a decent catch these days!"

In my imagination I was choking him, but I tried to keep my self-esteem, even if he wasn't a harvest goddess I didn't have to leave a bad first impression either. "My name is not Chase…"

He realized my voice was that of a stranger and he took the liberty to face me. "Who are you then?" Some manners. "I'm sorry I should introduce myself before demanding names," he corrected himself and continued, "I'm Toby, you don't seem familiar, are you new here?" I managed to make a smile and respond without my clear irritation shining through. "Yeah, I just moved into the farm east of here with my brother Ray, my name is Erica."

He scanned my appearance with his eyes before responding. "Cool, though the elements seem to have died out in the area I am glad that we are still able to attract new settlers. Well good luck, but you must excuse me I have to get home." He waved to me while he walked over the bridge from where I had arrived.

After watching a episode of a family fighting I was greeted by what seemed to be their youngest member. "Hi, I'm Taylor! Who are you!" The excited greeting no doubt covered over the fact that he was hurt by the discussion he had just had with his parents but I decided not to remark upon it. Meddling in strangers affairs was probably not the safest of first moves I could do.

"Uh, I'm Erica nice to meet you…" "Cool, I'm off to find new seed for my family to grow, see ya around Erica!" The little bolt of energy headed off and disappeared into the horizon in a few moments. I turned to the building his parents had gone into and went inside to see what I could get here.

"I like strawberries!" Like anyone could hear me, nevertheless I just felt like saying it out loud. Being apart from my brother were stranger than what I had thought it would be like at first.

In our home city we never complained when we were apart, but I guess with all this being a whole new place for us I may have over estimated my own feelings towards independence.

"So do Bo!" The voice, coming from my brother apparently appearing behind me, almost scared me enough to spill all the seeds I had just purchased. "R-Ray!" I couldn't really scold him for anything, it was me being unaware after all. "And who is 'Bo' by the way!"

Ray smiled like he had just won a jackpot, he might as well, or rather getting to scare me was probably more worth to him than any amount of cold cash that could be handed to him.

"Bo is a carpenters apprentice I met on the mountain! He's repairing a broken bridge, so I can't see the Harvest Goddess!" His voice sounding so enthusiastic seemed odd even for his carefree character.

"And that makes you happy because…?" Ray took a moment to think why he indeed was so cheerful about the situation but quickly found the explanation hidden in the back of his memory. "He wants strawberries and milk so he can get his stamina back!" "And we are supposed to pay for that!" After a moments silence he took a heavy breath like he was going to break some terrible news to me. "Yes!" "What! And you agreed!" "Why not?" "Because we don't have any money!"

After arguing a little back and forth we (meaning him and Finn out-manoeuvred me) agreed that it was best to get it over with and we also purchased some fresh Strawberries from the farm.

"Cain's ranch should be down this way, I think we drove past it on our way to our house earlier." Ray pointed towards the road heading right from Marimba farm heading north. On the way to the ranch we noticed the entrance to the forest, it was named "Fugue." You would think it meant something, but it was prolly just a name.

Finally arriving at Horn Farm we looked around the area, some horses were running around on the field behind their barn. A girl with brown hair was standing by the windmill. "Hey!" Ray went ahead and greeted her, he was always quick on words and didn't consider that he would scare the (censured word) out off her. "Hya!" She yelped a scream and turned around and faced Ray and I.

"H-hello…" "Hi there! I'm Ray and this is my sister Erica!" The girl took her time to search both of our appearances with her eyes. "I'm… Renee, pleased to meet you." She seemed to regain herself and she brought up a smile. "You're pretty cute!" Ray had a way of letting everyone know what he thought of them the minute he met them – for better or for worse. "You think…? Uhm… Thank you." She blushed a little but kept smiling, so she was obviously not opposed by his blunt remark.

"Yeah, well excuse me if I interrupt a flirt, but we really need to buy some milk, do you know if we can do that here." I always had to cut to the slack in order to get anything done. "Oh, yes you can, my mom tends the shop inside our home, my dad Cain is inside the barn right now…" Ray looked up at the windmill. "There's something strange about that windmill…" "What?" I turned my attention towards the windmill, we were all now staring at it. "Actually it's the wind that's acting peculiar…" Renee tucked a piece of her dress between her hands and faced us once more. "No way?" "Yes, for some reason the wind hasn't been very strong in quite a while now, I'm afraid that this will cut a lot in the income for a lot of people. The farmers from Marimba grind their sugar and the like here, and the minders grind the salt rocks they find when they work." A brief moment of silence fell upon the small party, Ray was quick to change that. "We'll handle it!" "You will? "We will!" Both I and Renee stared at my brother, then at each other. "Thanks so much, if you could do anything to help it would mean a lot to many people!" The girl waved and turned around to go into the chicken coop. "See you some other day!"

"You just have a way with the girls don't you?" "So what, just because I got the looks!" (Insert sunglasses smiley)

"And this milk should do?" I looked at the can while walking back to Cain's barn. "Why not, he just wanted milk and strawberries for lunch; he never said anything about the quality!"

As we entered the barn I could see that Cain was brushing a couple of calves. "Well, if it isn't the siblings fantastic!" Cain raised one of his huge hands in a very manly greeting; he slapped Ray on the back and messed up my hair in a fatherly fashion before continuing. "It's wonderful to get new life to this place; it's a long time since we last had any newcomers in the area! Say would you like a calf for free?"

"FOR REAL!" Ray immediately decided on behalf of us both that; yes we did… "Sure, my prized cow, Moo-Bella, just had triplets, and I don't have space for more than two of them!" "Awesome, thank you so much man!" "Ray!" I interrupted immediately, it was time for my doubtful speech, god, it seemed like I had to be the hesitant one all the time…

"None of us has any experience of taking care of any animal besides that retarded rabbit our father shot because it bit a finger off of him!" While Cain stood in the background gaping wide because of the grim revelation, Ray just scratched his neck and cocked his head a little to the side. "Yeah well, we'll learn! Right Cain!" "Uh, I guess… Take this brush and this 'caretaking for beginners' manual with you… I'm gonna come and check on her once in a while though…" "Yeah, let's get it home sis!"

We agreed that the calf should be named Dina, and by agreeing I mean Ray decided it and ignored my protests to the point where I gave it up. After escorting it home to our own shack of a barn we decided to go check out the town and meet the people we probably would see much more to in the near future. Huh, the first impression you get from this place is quite dull. Maybe it's because I compare it too much to the city we used to live in. The houses are pretty bland, but in changing colours though. "Isn't it pretty?" Ray smiled and ran towards the tailoring shop. "Yeah I guess it is." Ray being a couple of meters ahead already, I doubt he noticed my response. "We can shop for clothes her, awesome!" "Yeah actually I think we only managed to pack two sets of clothing each…"

Ray went ahead and opened the door, being the gentleman he was he held it for me – not. I swear when you walk behind that man you have to watch out or you'll get hurt! The tailoring shop at least seemed nice, the selection wasn't bad, but most of the stuff they had seemed to be on display only.

"Oh hello, the mayor spoke of you two, you are the siblings that moved into old stark's farm right?" We looked at each other for a brief moment before looking at the elderly woman who spoke to us behind the counter. Where we came from it was usually young girls, around our own age, that stood behind the counters and blew bubble gum without noticing the customers. "Who are you?" I stuffed my fist into my brother's mouth and took over for him. "I don't know who Stark is, but yes we just moved into the farm west of here. My name is Erica and this good-for-nothing-but-trouble brother of mine is named Ray." The old lady smiled and made her way around the counter and approached us. "My you are a handsome young man, and you are very pretty Erica." "Uh, thanks…" A stranger complimenting us was quite unusual too, man people seemed friendly here. "Wait here; I'll go fetch you a welcoming present each in the back."

Ray was jumping a little in excitement, "man people just hand us free stuff, this is so awesome!" While doing so the door bell clang and a blue haired girl stepped into the shop. "Grandma I'm back from-" The instant she turned around and caught sight of us she stopped talking and looked at us for a moment before diverting her eyes to the floor. "Hey another cute girl, man this city must have a bunch of you! My name is Ray and this is Erica, what's yours?" The girl looked a little up, it was clear she was uncomfortable by the quick remark my brother gave her before introducing us. "I… I'm Candace…." There were something endearing about her that I couldn't describe, her eyes flashed of honesty but she seemed so protective.

Something came over me. Almost like I couldn't control myself, yet I didn't want to stop even though I probably should. I approached her – and it was clear it made her nervous. I didn't react to her response. Instead I just closed up on her and cupped her cheeks with both hands before going in for a deep kiss.

She stiffened and her eyes widened to an extent that could be described as pre-bursting, but she didn't resist, she just stood there like she submitted herself to my perverted action. When I needed to breathe again I let go, a deep sigh emitted from her and I looked into her eyes. For once it was my brother who was left speechless, but it was hard to enjoy in this moment. Without thinking I darted out of the shop and ran home. I had not just kissed a person randomly, I had just kissed another _girl_ randomly. What was going on?

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_Please do review this story; I actually had fun writing this beginning._

_I have tried writing this in another way than what i did in my Dragon Age Fics, i hope it turned out good enough._

_I hope to continue the story, but I won't promise anything. Your reviews will help my ongoing motivation._

_Love to ya'll!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Mixed ****Feelings**

_Dear diary, today I did something… Perverted. I don't know why I committed such a rational sort of action, it's not like me, I'm usually the one that stops and rethinks every situation. I kissed – not just another person – but another girl, I don't even know her!_

_Just hearing her name – her voice – and looking at her face almost hypnotized me. It was as if all the world revolved around was us._

_Can I face her again? I have to tell her that I am sorry… Even though I don't feel sorry… I'm confused. I'm supposed to feel regret, but I don't. When I touch my lips I long after hers. The sensation of that union took me by surprise, I… I want to experience it again, but with someone I love. Can anything justify my actions? I only have my brother to seek for advice and that would be… Well, let's just say that I don't hope it'll come to that or I'm screwed._

"Hey! What's this supposed to mean Erica!" Ray leaped over to me while I was busy cooking jams out of the wild berries they had picked. "What's supposed to men-" She looked down at the book in his hands. "Ray… Is that my diary?" Ray took a moment to stare into the blank space and review his foolishness. "Uhm, if I say no, is there any chance you will believe it?" "NO!"

After a public execution on the top of the roof I was ready to forgive him for his dumb curiosity. "You're not supposed to read that; can't you go pet something poisonous? If you intend to open up wounds why can't it ever be your own?" Ray showed his carefree-huge-motha*****-smile; "Can't help it, you are my number one favorite teasing-object, it's just a shame I get severely injured every time. Anyways, how did it go?" "How did what go?"

Ray opened the diary once again pointed at a spot in the text and received a hammer to his forehead before being able to speak another word.

"I gave her the pie; I said I was sorry, though I stammered a little… It may not have been too convincing… She just nodded and ate the pie quietly with me, it was awkward as he*l. I don't think she told her grandmother about it though…" Ray reached into the fridge and brought a bag of frozen peas to his forehead. "So you're not in love with her?" "N-no…" I looked to the floor, but was interrupted by Ray's hand. "A-ha, so you wouldn't mind if I went ahead and invited her to the flower festival, huh?" I immediately shifted tone, "no way José, that's my-"

Ray just whistled while walking towards the door, ignoring his sister. "Wait, where are you going this early?" "Imma go ask her out! See ya sis!" Ray ran out of the door before Erica managed to protest further.

So stupid! He clearly just wanted to ask Candace out because it bugged me to no end. I might as well just take a walk. I threw my diary on the bed table and left the house as well. Walking towards the town I noticed a unfamiliar face walking a few meters in front of me on the road, as he approached I stopped and waved to him. He didn't seem to notice me until he stepped on my foot.

"Ouch! Watch where you are going!" "Oh, eheheh, so sorry!" "And you are laughing! What are you, ten years old!" He took a pose and pointed at himself with his thumb. "No way, I'm the infamous Luke, the master chopper – killer of trees!" "-Well that sounds fatal for the global environment –" "And who may you be?" Luke picked up his axe that he had dropped when he stepped on me. "I'm… Erica, I just moved here a couple of days ago…" "Erica? I heard about you! I met your brother in the Fugue forest!" I can actually recognize parts of my brother in this guy, Luke here just seemed a little smarter (insert smiley with horns)

"Well, imma see you latter chocolate-coated-banana-candy-on-a-stick!" Luke ran off in the background, turning around when he figured he was heading the wrong direction, ran past her again and disappeared towards Flute Fields. "That was a rather long nickname?"

The church? I looked up at the clock tower. A fit place for a church. On top of the hill where the guiding light of hope and hospitality always would be able to guide the searching. Maybe this would be an ideal time to pray to my parents.

When I went into the church I stopped up and took a moment to look the priest, Perry, in the eyes before sitting down and returning to my own thoughts. Both our parents had been scientists on a nuclear research centre, eventually their work became their deaths. An anti-resistant toxin had found a way to store itself in human cells and could infect anyone just a brief touch with the skin. Our parents had been held in quarantine before they died of dehydration; their bodies were completely taken over by the toxin which also died when the host was no longer able to supply sufficient water.

From that moment I and Ray had lived on our own. But it wasn't because we were unprepared, both our parents were very rarely home, much less at the same time. This was the way it had been leading too our whole lives. Now I just hoped that I could create a family of my own and give it the love I had never gotten from my parents. But what was this about falling in love with another girl? It seemed so out of character of me. I had to admit that I never really had any affection towards men, but I just figured it was because she never found anyone _worth_ me. Okay that would be a little skanky to say, but that was what I thought.

"Erica? Wake up Erica!" A familiar voice tore me away from my sleep, when I got used to the light again I noticed that I was looking into the concerned eyes of Candace, she usually visited the church now and then. "Are you okay?" Quickly her eyes darted to the floor when she realized she had gained my full attention. "Candace? Yes, thank you, what are you doing here?" Candace took a deep breath and responded in kind; "I-I'm here to pray for my… it's not important…" I sat up and stretched my arms out wide but making sure I wouldn't hit Candace. I could se that Candace's eyes watched the one of my arms closer to her; probably to make sure I wouldn't move in for another kiss.

"Want to walk with me?" I gestured towards the door, Candace hesitated and looked at the altar for a moment before nodding and going with me outside.

"M-may I ask what you were d-doing in there?" Candace folded her hands together like she was ashamed of asking. "In the church? A-haha, I didn't plan to sleep there over night, it was an accident…" Candace looked down on the stairs as we walked towards the graveyard; none of us really noticed where we were headed. "I was praying… For my parents…" I continued. "Your parents?" This vague resemblance in our backgrounds caught her attention and she diverted her main attention from the stairs towards my face, however now I were the one avoiding her eyes instead.

I didn't mind telling my story to Candace. Even though it did hurt, it also felt nice to share it with someone other than my brother. When I was finished I looked up at Candace again, tears was rolling down her delicate chins the story wasn't similar to that of her own, but she could recognize the pain in the story itself, the same pain her and her family knew, a pain she hadn't been able to spot in my brother, the carefree Ray. "Candace?" I reached out and brushed the tears away from her face. She didn't pull away, Candace seemed to be a little confused of herself, she normally did pull herself away on contact with anyone else than her close family members.

I was surprised – almost shocked – when she took the next step forward and wrapped her arms around me in a tight, warm hug. She cried her heart out on my shoulder. Maybe it was wrong to oppose those feelings that had been building up since I met this girl. There was a connection between us, something I couldn't quite describe in any fair way. Maybe one's not supposed to be able to describe such feelings?

"Have you talked to my brother today?" I had made us both some herbal tea which we enjoyed in the afternoon glow. "Ray? No I have been to Horn farm to purchase some yarns of silk and wool all day. I just dropped off the box with the items at my grandma's shop before I went to the church." I was relieved; maybe it was time to try and move ahead and really grab a hold of my own life, like I originally had planned. Maybe I could just count on one more person beside myself and my brother? If there is such a thing called destiny, who's to say this isn't it, no?

"Would you like to go to tomorrow's festival with me?" Candace stopped playing around with the spoon when I looked in her direction again. She was always careful that she wouldn't do anything that could offend anyone. "Tomorrow is… the flower festival… Right…?" every decision was clearly thought thoroughly through **(**_try saying that fast three times, I dare you readers_**)** in her head, it was like she tried to construct every possible scenario any of her actions could lead to, and if any of these were a 'worst case scenario' she would clearly reject. She shaked her head, "I don't know…" This uncertainness was killing me! "Okay…" I placed my cup on the bench and got on my feet. Candace was surprised by my sudden change of pace. "Candace… I just want you to know that you can trust me… Bye now…" I started walking towards the bridge leading home. "_Wait!_" I smiled, but managed to wipe my victory face away before turning towards her again. "I… I want to go with you…" This may be the way to get through to her, rushing her so she would respond in the matter that first hit her. "Cool! I'll meet you an hour into the main event then!" Candace nodded in agreement but she did seem a little confused.

I waved to her while I walked home; she waited outside the tailor shop until I was out of sight. I would have to be careful about rushing her into such decisions, if used too much it would just stress her and scare her away.

- Gosh now it actually sounded like she was trying to land her…

"Hey sis, where the h*ll have you been off to?" Before answering I took a quick peek towards the corner of the room where my bed and table were placed – my diary seemed to be untouched. "I didn't know that I had to tell you my every move brother." I responded in a cold fashion, maybe I was too harsh, but it did still bother me a little that he dared to open that book of mine. "You're still not sour about that thing with the diary are you?" He laid back onto his bed and stared upwards into the ceiling. "You're such a stuckup…" "Hey, you were the one who read my diary!" "You didn't exactly go out of your way to hide it!" "That's because I want to trust you!"

An awkward silence fell upon the room; I guess we both realized that we had been equally harsh on each other. "Does it have to keep being like this?" He placed his arms behind his head to support it for comfort. "I don't want it to… We are going to drive each other insane…" He looked up and caught my eye, we both started smiling – and eventually laughing.

We spend the first part of the night staying up and talking – we used to do this when we lived in the city. There we had a room each, even though this was a whole house it was still just one large all-in-one room. "No way, she actually agreed!" "Yes, but I don't know if she just thinks of it as a friend-to-friend date or if she considers it an opportunity to get to know a love interest…" I placed my head on his lap, we had made hot cocoa – it was both our favourite drink! Ray took another sip before responding. "What do you consider it?" I took some time to think, but my answer was that of my mind – blurred. "I… I don't really know, I'm quite confused actually." "I figured as much." After a moments silence I tried directing the conversation towards him and me instead of me and her. "What do you think Ray?" "I think you are crazy" "Wow, you can still amaze with your kind replies!" "Heh, well, truly I guess I don't really have an opinion. I always just followed you because you took care for me… I want to return that… I never really had an opinion as to what you should be allowed to like or dislike." His words were comforting; it was good to know that I was still his idol somehow.

"Actually since I like girls it wouldn't surprise me if you did so too, we usually like the same stuff!" "You're comparing sexual-orientation to cocoa?" We both smiled and drank some more of the cocoa as a toast. "You know what bro? Out of all people I ever knew, I'm still glad you're the one here with me…" My words were sudden, but I didn't feel like a better moment than this, to spill my thoughts, would come. "I.. Well sis you know I'm here for you…" "Bedtime!" I interrupted him and forced him under his blanket, tucking it tightly around his neck. "What th-!"

I went ahead and kissed him on the forehead that silenced him and I went over to my own bed, it may be a bother to live with my brother, but he was my closest friend.

"Sis?" Talking in the dark was more comforting, you couldn't see each others faces. "You know… I don't really need that diary of yours…" "I know." I grabbed the book mentioned and stuck it under my pillow – he was right, he probably knew me better than I did myself. Maybe I underestimated the help he can give me on this emotional slide; it was comforting to know I always could rely on him as well.

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_D'aaw I just had to end this chap with a little brother/sister comfort, I didn't want it to seem like they hated each other. Writing this fanfic is a little easier than what I expected._

_If any of you should be interested I can tell that fav character in the game is Renee, I also like the design of the ToT male character better than the one from AP, but in my messed up head he belongs to Renee 3_

_I do not dislike Toby like it may seem in the first chapter _(actually he's the one character that is most like me irl, da*n lazy and only with a few hobbies, my hobbies are just gaming and travelling – not fishing and not-doing-anything)_, _

_I just dislike his pairing with Renee. (She's mine!) Other pairings I don't like is Gill/Luna and Candace/Julius, it's like the creators just shuffled them in a bag like the pieces to a puzzle and then just expected it to solve itself._

_I also wanna say that if you have any ideas to my fic you may email me, I think you are supposed to be able to contact me by my profile here on , but please point it out for me in case you're unable to._

_Next is going to be the flower festival, the only festival I didn't experience in my first year of the game – no worries I'm almost a year two! It may take a while for me to update to the third chapter though._

_Till then chaps'!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Why flowers bloom**

"… So, what do you do on this festival?" I looked at Candace while walking around the flowers. It was a chilly day in these late hours. "What we do? Well I guess we just watch the flowers and eat some food together… I brought some…" It was funny how Candace seemed hesitant in all her sentences, almost like she was afraid of offending me; however she would manage that with flowers being the topic.

"You made some food? Cool I'm sure it's great!" Maybe encouraging her a little more was the right way to get her to open up. "… Do you have a similar festival like this where you come from?" Candace sat down on the blanket and avoided my eyes while talking. Actually we did, to be exact there were multible. "Yeah, mostly some of the highborn ladies just liked to display the flowers from their own gardens. Usually there would be a contest once in a while, but once a girl without links to a noble title won it, they illegalized it and claimed that she cheated - paid the referee." Candace seemed to be fascinated with my stories from the dirty city, I might even make too much of what I remember, but it just seemed so distant now. "…Oh I see…" Candace replied to my story. I shaked my head to get away from thoughts of greedy people and looked back at her, she was busy plucking the leaves off a dandelion.

"That is the flower that reminds me mostly of you sweetheart." We both looked at the direction of the familiar voice; Shelly stood behind us and smiled. "Grandma?" Candace smiled, it seemed that Shelly was the only person in town she truly trusted, her and of course the sister I had yet to meet. "Common yet beautiful, I'm glad to see you making new friends Candace." Shelly gave us a quick smile before turning around and clinging herself to mayor Hamilton's arm, I think she knew that he liked her – looking at those two old people was strangely cute. I looked back at the flower Candace had obliterated, Shelly was right, no matter where you would go, you would never really notice the beauty of this simple flower – yet once you got close enough you could see that beauty which seemed so anonymous. Candace was the same way, if I had walked past her in the crowded mall I wouldn't have noticed her, yet now that she sat down beside me in her own thoughts I couldn't help but gazing at the beauty that she was. A beauty which she no doubt contained lots of inside too.

"Are you okay?" Candace looked worried at me, I had a blush covering my entire face by now. "Ah, n-no I just think it's… a little hot…!" "Really?" She replied quietly while looking questionably at my scarf, which I had brought for the very reason opposite of what I had just said – the lie was too obvious.

The awkward silence which had fallen upon us before had returned. We both looked away from each other. It was strange how natural being in the presence of her could seem at one moment, and how perverted it seemed the next. It was almost like breaking the law, her protective shell and my clumsiness when choosing when to be embarrassed seemed like the perfect mix for disaster, yet I could still feel that we both wanted to be friends.

"Do you have any contests?" I tried to break the stalemate by venturing into a new rather random conversation – anything to break the silence. "What do you mean?" A fair reply, I didn't really ask her the question in regards to anything specific. "Well, at the flora meetings in the park where I come from they had the flower competition I told you about, do you have any flower contests here?" Candace looked briefly back at the mayor a couple of metres away from us as if she sought permission to reveal a long lost secret to me. "N-no not today anyway, we have a flower contest at the harvest festival in the end of autumn however…"

I was getting annoyed with how dull this festival seemed, I had to try and get something started. I looked at the small patches of grass around the church just before turning into stony mountainside. Without warning I grabbed Candace by her hand and darted towards the grassy scene forcing her to stand up and follow. When I got to my target I sat down and had my companion do so as well. She breathed heavily, this made me blush again for some reason, but I chose to ignore it and tried to introduce her to my idea: "Look!" I picked a Dandelion about the same size as the one Candace had destroyed earlier. Candace just looked at it like it was poisoned when I tried to hand it to her. "Thank you, you're very kind…" Her polite response was like the taste of melting chocolate to my ears but I couldn't let it distract me. "No-no you don't get it!" I took two of the other Dandelions and twisted one around another, I picked another and proceeded to twist this one around the two others. "Haven't you ever made a garland out of flowers before?" She looked back at the flower I had handed her earlier, one of her rare smiles came across her lips and she picked another of the same flower to imitate my action. "You mean like a chain? Yes I used to do this with Luna and my mother, I…"  
The smile disappeared once she mentioned her parent and she looked back down into the ground. (*Censured swear*) I hadn't considered that this would make her think sad thoughts again.

"I didn't…" I looked at her, she didn't respond to me continuing the sentence she hadn't completed. "My mom never had time for such stuff… I did do it with some of my friends though…" I could see a tear leave her chin and fall down onto her hand, she didn't react to it. Maybe it was wrong of me to dig into these feelings, but I just couldn't leave this topic be. 'You have to finish what you started!' was one of the values my parents lived by, that's why they never did anything but keep on their never ending work. I was going to finish this. "I think that you have to keep on doing what has value to you. I admire Mrs. Mira for keeping up her husbands work. And I also admire you for doing what you love…" Finally she reacted; she lifted her head a bit and looked at the long garland I had made while her mind was absent. I finished by tying the two ends together thereby forming a wreath. "Here, take this." I lifted the small tiara of flowers and gently placed it down on top of her head. "A perfect fit…" I rose from my sitting position, leaving a mark in the grass behind. "Can I walk you home?" I offered my hand, still in silence she but nodded, accepted it and rose to stand up beside me. I noticed the red glow on her face, this time from sorrow, at some point she would have to face her demons, the question was for me if that would influence 'us.'

We reached the tailor shop, the lights inside implied that Shelly had gone home ahead of Candace. "Well, I'll see you… Tomorrow?" Candace looked into my eyes as a response, it seemed like she wanted to lift her heart and spill all of her thoughts to me, but the usual hesitation kept her from saying what she felt. "Yeah… Thanks for the wreath, I'll… I'll treasure it, I promise." She quickly opened the door and hurried to get inside and close it off before another word could be said.  
It was like I could still feel her standing with her back against the door on the other side. I leaned against the door myself, imitating my image of Candace on the other side; imagining us both being so close, yet closed off by that barrier which seemed to turn on every time there seemed to be progress.

"Hey, wha'cha doing?" I looked up and noticed Ray appearing from the docks, interrupting my thoughts. I felt a single tear escape me before I smiled at my brother and answered. "N-nothing, I was just about to head home…" Ray swung his arm around me and landed it on my shoulder, it was comforting to have someone hold me close like this. "So am I!" Happy as usual. "So, did you go to the festival?" I searched for his eyes but noticed him staring at the horizon far out into the ocean. "Wha-? Yeah sure, I went with Chloe…" "With Chloe?" We both smiled and he continued: "Yeah, she waited for me by the church grounds and I didn't want to disappoint her!" "I think she's in love with him!" Finn appeared out of his glowing orb on the other side of Ray's head, smiling. "Yeah, that whole red bell business seemed to catch her attention in some odd way…" Ray grinned and let go of my shoulder, he started running towards home, probably to avoid the sensitive topic. Sometimes I feel jealous of how carefree his world is. It would be easier if all feelings could just be spilled like Ray does it.

* * *

_So I got back into it(!)  
__I'm usually a very bad sport for continuing such stuff, but this I actually like writing this.  
__I'm still a little concerned about the world around the central characters being too passive, I hope to include some more of the other characters in these next chapters._


	4. Chapter 4

**Friends**

"What!" I raised my eyebrow and looked up from the newspaper; Ray just waved his hands for protection. "She really, really needs it. Please help me out on this!" I looked out of the window on our small patch of land and then back on him to hand him the response. "I don't mind helping her, but we aren't exactly rich ourselves, give me one good reason to why we should just give away 10 of our hard grown crops?" He pulled out a big yellow bell and held it towards me. "I have recharged this bell with the awesome powers of the moonlight, but the place where it's supposed to be placed is locked off and I suspect Ruth has the key to open up the gate!" "And you can't just ask her for it?" "She asked me for help, her husband Craig has gone emo and doesn't do a fair days work anymore… It would be rude to just ask her for it now that I promised her this…" I nodded at him. "Okay then, but you've got to help more in the fields, I know your task to help the nature is very noble, but I don't think the nature would mind if you helped me out a couple of hours each morning…" "You got it!" Ray handed me a thumb up but left instantly, probably to go adventuring again. "Oh hi Candace!" was all I heard him say before he left… Candace?

As my brother had said there she stood on our doorstep. "G-good morning Erica…" As per usual she seemed to be revealing the biggest secret of her life every time she talked. "I wanted to give you a gift…" She handed me a small yellow box with a cute ribbon tied to it. "Cool, what's the occasion?" I started to unwrap it and opened it up. "You have just been sweet to me; I thought this would be a prober way of thanking you…" It was some silk thread, very good quality. "Wow thanks, I actually needed something like this I have more holes than clothes right now." I smiled at her and she back at me, it probably pleased her that I could actually use it. "Wanna go to the Flute Fields with me?" She nodded and stepped to the side so I could go out of the door. "Are you going to buy something there?" She looked at the handcart I had prepared with some vegetables in it. "Yeah, Ray promised Ruth ten lettuces and since he runs around adventuring all the time he has placed the job on me." Candace giggled a little. I think it was my surrendered person that amused her more than my winning brother's. "Couldn't you just take them by hand? It seems like a lot of work to bring a cart…?" She took one of the handles and helped me pull the cart. "Yeah, well, I also plan on buying some more animals at Horn farm; I have saved up some money without Ray knowing, so I thought I'd use some of them before he finds out." "Why?" "Ray likes to use money. He has gone to the bar every second evening for the past week, I think he hangs out with Owen and Luke there. If he finds my savings they no doubt will go to please his needs for booze." It clearly amused her to hear me talk in my given up way about my brother, it was quite delighting to be able to see her smile without it getting interrupted with sad feelings for a change. "So what animals are you gonna buy?" I looked back at the cart, I knew how big it was, but I guess it was just a reaction to determine what I had space for. "A lamb, a kid and a duckling I think…" Candace eyes widened a bit. "That's quite a few, and you only have a cow right now, right?" "Yeah and a chicken, it's quite an increase I know, but I think I can handle it…" Candace averted her eyes towards horn ranch, then back at me. "You know, my grandmother and I… And Luna of course… We have a sheep." I smiled at her statement, for some reason it didn't surprise me. "You're kidding?" "Not at all, we have a sheep that can produce some wool for us a couple of times a week, we still buy our silk from their shop directly though. Her name is fluffy." "How original." I threw a cocky smile at her. "Yeah well, it was Luna who named her when we got her, she was pretty young then." "Luna or the sheep?" "They both were!" We both laughed some. We finally arrived at marimba farm. "I'll do this quickly." I took the box with the lettuce and went into the shop.

"Ah, Erica have you brought the lettuce I requested?" Ruth clapped her hands in joy; I looked into their kitchen where Craig just drank water all day. "Y-yeah, I had ten of them grown this morning, here you go." Ruth picked up the box and immediately put them up for sale. "Don't worry, we'll pay for them when good times return, until then take these ten bags of seeds for free for now!" I took the seeds and replied with a quiet smile while I turned around and walked out of the shop.

"So you got them delivered?" Candace jumped down from the cart, my empty hands should have been answer enough, but I knew it was just a polite way of starting a conversation. "Yeah, I got some new seeds for free in return though…" We got on our way again, each holding a handle on the cart, and headed towards Horn Farm, on the way we noticed Maya standing in front of Chase's house with a piece of shortcake in her hands, she knocked on the door, she was ready with a big smile across her face. We both sensed disaster and sped up a little to be spared from hearing the volcano of disgust yell at that poor girl once again. "What do you think of them?" "Huh?" Candace's sudden question caught me unexpected. "I don't mean to gossip, I just think that they seem like such an unlikely couple…. I would worry a bit for them both, but I wouldn't want to get involved in such stuff…" I looked back at the house where Maya had been permitted to enter. "Well, I think they even each out somehow…" Candace looked puzzled at me. "Even each other out?" "Yeah, well, Chase is a lone wolf with great cooking skills and a bad attitude where Maya is a social, sweet girl with a big mouth, from our point of view they may seem like a strange pair, but for them they might be just what they each need in companionship." Candace looked at me like she was in awe of all the big words used in my last sentence. "Uh, that is to say; I'm not an expert at such stuff, but that's just my point of view…" I blushed a little and chose not to say more for the time being. In silence we went to Horn Farm and parted ways for now. "I'll go see Fluffy, I'll see you later." I waved and opened the door to enter the farm shop.

"Oh, hey Erica you come like sent from above." I looked around to try and locate from where Hannah was talking to me, she wasn't behind the counter. "Can you get that ladder for me? It fell down while I tried hanging this painting up which Renee made me the other day." I looked up and noticed Hannah hanging on to the frame of a window just up under the ceiling with a painting, of a cow, in her other hand. "Hang on I'll get you down!" I quickly took the ladder and raised it against the wall so Hannah could get down. "Phew, thanks sweetheart, I guess I shouldn't be doing such a thing alone, I just didn't want to bother my husband while he's working." "What about Renee?" "It's her painting; it was supposed to be a surprise to her, that I had it hung up. Well, I guess you're here for business?" I blinked a few times to get away form the situation and remember my original purpose. "Yeah, I'm here to buy some livestock and a duckling." "Ah, I see, which animals would you like to purchase?" "Do you have a lamb and a kid for sale?" "Yeah, sure let me get them." It was funny how they always had the right animals ready for sale; it was almost like they had a machine that could produce living creatures. "Here you go, aren't they cute." The über-kawaii animals walked out from behind a door and stood obedient beside Hannah. "I'll sell you all three of them to you for 6000G total, that's a little below normal prize, take it as a thank you for saving me." "Cool, it would be rude not to accept and appreciate that!" "Are you going to name them?" I looked at the animals who had begun to walk out to the cart. "Not now, if I did Ray would no doubt just make me change it to something he would like anyway…" We laughed and she helped me load the small animals onto the cart.

Candace appeared to be finished in their barn. "Ooh, how cute, I suddenly miss Fluffy being a lamb." She petted the lamb in the cart and took a hold of the handle next to the one I held. "How come you keep it here at Horn Farm?" "Oh, it's just because it would be a bother to keep it in the town, there isn't any space for a big animal there. I guess she could sleep in Luna's bed though…" She giggled and we walked the rest of the way home to my farm in silence. The sun was going down in the east; it was about time Candace went home too. "My gosh, it's so late, will you be okay by your self." I looked around and noticed Ray appearing with his hammer by the mountain and I nodded to her. "Sure, my brother is coming home now too, he will help me get the animals into the barn and the coop." "Good, then I'll-" She turned around but I took a hold of her sleeve turning her back towards me. "Hey, thanks for today." She looked at the silk yarn I held in my hand and smiled; "oh it's nothing big, I'm glad to give it to you." "You do know I consider you my friend right?" I looked into her eyes, she blushed, just like I had hoped for, she was so cute when she got a little colour on her pale cheeks. "So do I… I mean, I consider you **my** friend…" "And thanks for helping me carrying the cart, no doubt I would still be pulling it across the bridge by now hadn't you helped me out." I hugged her before letting her go, I could hear her heart skip a beat, the response I had hoped for, and my own heart probably had the same reaction. Candace walked a couple of steps backwards, still looking at my face, smiling, before she turned around and ran home.

"Yo! Did you get the duckling!" Ray slapped me on the back – a bad habit he had picked up from his friendship with Owen and Luke – and looked into the cart. "Wow a goat and a sheep too! Do you have time for that!" "**We** have time for that yes. Remember you promised me to help with the work more from now on!" He covered his face with his arms like seeking protection against a punch, from his cover he nodded. "Yeah, yeah, imma help you more from tomorrow on…" His spirit seemed to fade a little; it was easy to sense that he didn't enjoy working in the fields as much as he did in the mines. We got the new animals into their new homes and I made Ray brush and feed them while I used the thread I had received from Candace to repair some of our old clothes. "By the way, did you deliver the lettuces to Ruth?" He asked while washing his hands after the work. "Yeah don't worry about that, you can go talk to her tomorrow." "Cool, then I can finally get this yellow bell business done!" A moment of silence fell upon us while we went into the house; I pulled off my socks, jumped into my bed and pulled out a magazine about knitting. "Sis, do you know what a Hibiscus is?" I didn't look up from the magazine, I just picked up my wool yarn I had purchased a couple of days ago and started my project while answering him. "It's a flower, why do you ask?" "It's complicated, the wizard from town-" "You mean the one that actually can't do magic?" I interrupted him with my cocky but rather true statement, he chose to ignore my rude hint and continue: "Yeah, him, he is going to make a potion that can cure a witch who lives in the forest east of here." I looked up from my magazine and up at him. He was sitting in his bed, cleaning dirt out from in between his toes. It was a wonder how he could be doing something so disgusting while talking about such a noble cause. "Another magician? What does she look like?" "She's pink and wears a small hat." "Pink?" He looked up from his toes and grinned at me. "Yeah, she's turned into a frog, that's what we're trying to cure her from!" I couldn't follow half of the adventure he had begun, but it was nice to have him occupied with something, that left plenty of time for me to be myself. And for me to spend with Candace… "What're you doing anyway?" Ray sat down beside my bed and looked into the magazine I had folded out before me. "I'm making Candace a present for the 20th festival." Ray looked at his calendar and then back on the page I was using for directions. "But that's not a custom here is it? I mean we used to do that where we're from, but they don't do it here, no?" "True, but just because it's a custom somewhere else doesn't mean I can't practice it, it's the statement behind it that I like." "So are you going to make a present for Candace this year?" "Yeah, I know I used to make it to you, but she's really the best friend I ever had- aside from you, I think it would be nice to make it to her for a change…" "Are you going to make her a sweater like you did me too?" I looked back on him. "He*l no, my sweaters s*ck, you told me so too, imma make something different this time." He grinned and supported his neck with his arms while leaning back. "You know I was only kidding, I love your sweaters." "Sure…"

The 20th of spring there is a festival I enjoyed from our home. Showing appreciation to a person you find important to you. Unlike thanksgiving you're only supposed to give one gift for the one person you want to spend more time with and the festival didn't really have a name. I'm looking forward to this.

_So it goes on!__ I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Next up will be my made up festival and the circus probably too. There's also the next festival in the game calendar, animal festival – can't wait!_


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